Collection of 19 dockmaster's records kept by Alfred C Stewart

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This collection of 19 dockmaster's records was kept by Alfred C Stewart during his employment at Mort's Dock & Engineering Co Ltd, Sydney. The series consists of one notebook; one dock plan; one program for the launching of the BADDELEY; three sets of docking records and one index; diagrams and measurements for the Dutch barge ROERDOMP, WALVIS, BEVERWIJK and the vessels ESPERANCE DUTCH and SAMSON; notes on the docking tugs SYDNEY COVE and HAWK; one diagram for the oregon mast for the SHELL XI; two ledger books relating to a Slipway and Ward's Dock. The documents span the period 1902 - 1950s.

SignificanceThese manuscript books and papers are rare records of the working operations of docks at one of Sydney's most important ship repair and maintenance operations, Mort's Dock & Engineering Co. Ltd.

HistoryMort's Dock & Engineering Co. Ltd was one of the two most important ship building and repair operations in Sydney for almost a century. Mort's Dock at Waterview Bay Balmain was established in 1854 by Thomas Sutcliffe Mort. The dock was enlarged and the company, was formed in 1872. In 1899 Morts had a new graving dock excavated at Woolwich. By 1917 the company employed 1500 people and occupied 18 acres. It had a 640 foot dry dock, three patent slipways and two floating docks in Johnstone's Bay, Balmain. In 1924 it bought Chapman's Slipway, renamed Chapman's Branch, and in 1925 bought Rowntree's Floating Dock. Well known Sydney pilot boats, the CAPTAIN COOK I, II, and III were built at Mort's , as well as numerous ferries. During World War II the yards at Chapman's, Woolwich and Mort's were fully occupied in servicing merchant ships and in the conversion of ships for war purposes. A series of corvettes were built for the Royal Australian Navy. Mort's languished in subsequent years, was weakened by poor labour relations, and was wound up in 1959. Ward's Dock was a wooden floating dock originally in Johnstone's Bay, then bought by Mort's and relocated at Chapman's Branch.

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